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US Wants African Troops Deployed in South Sudan

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield, right, shown here at a hearing on Capitol Hill in January 2014, has called for IGAD member states to send troops to South Sudan to help police a ceasefire that has already been violated.

WASHINGTON —
The United States has called on African countries to send troops to South Sudan to help shore up a shaky peace deal signed last week by President Salva Kiir and his arch rival in the five-month-old conflict, Riek Machar.

"We have to work closely with the leaders in the region to make sure that we get IGAD troops on the ground who will be put in position so that they can monitor the agreement and ensure that anyone who is involved in breaking that agreement will be held responsible," said Thomas-Greenfield, who visited Juba two weeks ago with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has been trying since January to broker a peace deal between the warring sides in South Sudan.

A cessation of hostilities agreement signed at the end of January called for monitoring and verification teams made up of civilians and "individuals with a military background" to be deployed around the country.

The first team of monitors, who under the terms of the January 23 agreement are unarmed, was deployed at the start of last month, but fighting has continued in spite of their presence.

IGAD member states who provide members of the monitoring and verification teams have asked for a military force to be deployed to protect the monitors.

Troops in South Sudan a top US priority

Deploying the regional protection force "is one of our highest agenda items right now in dealing with South Sudan," Thomas-Greenfield said.

The United States is pushing for a U.N. resolution "that will allow these troops to deploy as quickly as possible," she said.

As Thomas-Greenfield spoke, fighting was reported in several hot spots around South Sudan including Bentiu in Unity State, and parts of Jonglei and Unity states, and the U.N. Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said medical supplies were looted from hospitals in Bentiu, which is also a violation of the recent peace agreement

The conflict in South Sudan has killed thousands of people and forced more than one million from their homes.